Young Edge
by appaloosa807
Summary: A new runner is born. She's the youngest, and most talented that Merc's ever seen. 'Lil bit of violence R&R PLEASE
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I don't own Mirror's Edge, though it would be pretty cool if I did XD! None of the characters belong to me, except the odd few – They're mine! ALL MINE! *Physchotic Screaming* MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE! :3**_

Danisha gazed miserably out of the window, a pen lolling lazily in her hand. A teachers voice barked somewhere in the distance, explaining the pointless rules of mathematics and algebra. She stared back down at her exercise book and tapped her pen on the pages, as if hoping for the answer to pop up on the squares. Sighing she wiped her forehead from the summer heat and rested her head on one hand, to continue day dreaming

"Oi redhead!"

"Stick insect!"

"Eww… don't come near me!"

The insults flew at Dan mercilessly. She retorted back, but the other teens just laughed.

She slipped down the wall, sitting in the corner of the school yard on her own. As she expected, it wasn't long before a taller blonde girl swaggered up to Dan, a little group of girls scurrying in her wake.

"Hey rust hair."

"Go die."

"Ooh, don't be cheeky!"

"Just piss off for gods sake!"

"Mind your language!" Alicia swooped down and yanked Dan up to her feet by her collar. Her face was instantly inches from Alicia's.

"Leave me alone, blonde bitch!" Dan tried to defend herself. All she felt after that was a sharp pain in her stomach, as Alicia's fist connected. Throwing a punch back, Dan was instantly pounced on by three other girls, tackling her to the floor.

Dan scrambled out of the mob and ran. Bruises were already appearing on her eyes and face. She ran into the toilets, still being pursued by the gang. Shutting her self in the cubical, she climbed onto the toilet seat as the chav girls bashed on the door hard. Dan desperately looked for a way out, and saw a lining of windows around the edge of the loos. Breathing in hard Dani curled her hand into a fist, punched out the glass and hauled herself out onto the roof of the school.

Climbing nimbly up a drain pipe Dan went higher and higher onto the school buildings, only stopping when she was right at the top. She lay down on the roof and panted heavily.

"DANISHA WALLS!!!"

Dan sprung too her feet to see her maths teacher, Mr. Walsh, stood on the roof with the gang hauling themselves up, all cherry red in the face and sweating heavily. Neither Dan nor Walsh was even breaking a sweat. He opened his mouth to yell.

"WHAT IN GODS NAME DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING ONTOP OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING?"

Dani just stood there, not doing anything. She shut her eyes for a minute, enjoying the feeling of wind rustling through her hair, caressing her face. Oh if only she could live up here, she though sadly. Nobody to bother you. Bliss.

Reopening her eyes all she saw was Alicia running towards her, pure hatred in her eyes. She was holding her hands out, going for Dans neck. Dan spun around, and took off at a flying run. Without thinking, she launched herself off the building. The wind was beautiful, she thought. She felt like a bird as she landed roughly on the next building. She saw Walsh and Alicia gawp at her in amazement as Dan suddenly analyzed the jump she had just made. It was a twenty foot drop to the next building, and at least two meters apart. Dan dropped her bag, removed her blazer and jumper and ripped her tie off before she continued to run.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: OMG! I'm sooooo sorry I haven't updated in like… FOREVER! I had a nasty case of writers block and crap loads of real life to deal with -_- so extra long chapter this time! Hope to have Chapter 3 up soon. I now have the entire story planned out, I just gotta get it written down on paper XD. And also I've decided to draw what in my head Dani looks like. I'll post it when it comes :P**_

_**Enjoy! 3**_

Dani never returned home. She never said goodbye to her parents or her younger twin brother and sister, Ash and Jess. Dan just did what was right for her; Run.

She vaulted lightly over a vent and slid under some raised pipes, she continued to run in a fluid motion towards the next building, it wasn't a challenge to get over too, however as usually she landed with a rough roll that completely threw her momentum. Dan sighed, and just walked. Dawn was growing out from the horizon, shades of orange and red melting in with the urban landscape. She checked her watch, 5:30am. The streets were a dangerous place to sleep at night and the lack of sleep was catching up on the young girl.

She was alive though; More alive than she had even been in her whole life. There was something there that kept the running even though there was no-one to run from.

_I'm free…_

Slipping clumsily down a rust coated pipe that led down into a shadowy alley way by a Pizza cafe, Danisha rummaged through some bright blue bins hungrily, it had been more that 12 hours since she had eaten; 38 since she had run away. She wondered what they had done with her stuff, give it to her parents? Burn it? Keep it in case she came back? Dan didn't give two shits.

After scavenging what bits of fresh pizza there was left, she shimmied back up the creaking pipe and hauled herself up onto the roof tops. Stretching her burning arms, Dan spotted some scaffolding around a glass building called Pirandello Kruger. She smiled mischievously and swung her slight body over a chain link fence.

There was a small ramp that had obviously been placed there for a reason; It glowed a fiery red colour and Dan was suddenly attracted to it, a strong magnetic pull yanking her towards it. Taking three huge steps back, she bolted towards it and launched her tiny body off the ramp. She soared threw the air, holding her hands out for the shining bar…

THWAM! Something hit Dan with such a force from above her she screamed and was instantly sent plummeting down to the hard, solid and very concrete floor.

_This is where I die. My life ends here…_

Her arms flayed about manically trying to find something to hold onto, the wind blowing her hair and clothes into her face. All she could do was cry out.

_Black._

******************

"Hey, welcome back kiddo."

Dan groaned miserably and opened her eyes, there was another female sleeping in a bed next to her with jet black hair and intricate star tattoo on her face. The room was small but well arranged, the two beds separated by a small table and a dresser in the corner. The smell was musty, but somewhat comforting; There was someone talking outside, a male and female but their voices were muffled and not worth listening too. Dani turned her attention back to the voice that had awoken her.

"Who are you?"

"Name's Merc. Nice to see you're awake Dan. How're your shoulders?"

"Uhm. They burn a bit. Why? What happened?"

"We've been watching you for a while now. Where did you learn to run?"

"Run? You mean all the climbing and stuff? I don't know. I just sorta did it."

"Ok Kiddo," The bulk of man turned around and shouted "Shane! Get your ass in here!" The other sleeping female stirred slightly, but didn't awake.

Walsh walked straight through the door. Dan sat up bolt upright and stared at him; He was wearing white tracksuit bottoms with a red vest top and some very unusual bright red plimsoll shoes.

"Sir!?"

"Welcome back Danisha, and welcome to the runners." He signalled to Merc who turned her around, revealing under a similar vest top that was blue though, that someone had tattooed a thick circuit board across the back of her shoulders and about halfway down her upper arms. She looked around and gawped in amazement.

"They're beautiful…" She breathed, impressed with the artist that had done it.

Dani looked at Walsh, he had the same design as herself, but around his middle, and Merc's stretched up all his left arm.

"Whether you like it or not Kiddo, you're New Eden's youngest runner."


End file.
